Our View – Brexit Blues

MOST recent opinion polls show that there is growing support for Britian to rejoin the European Union but currently there are no significant UK political parties promoting the concept.

Politicians are nothing if not fickle and with the next General Election due no later than the end of January 2025, a lot could still happen.

Currently, Britian has not reversed the bulk of laws created during its time as a member of the EU and too a great extent, any decision to reapply (and be accepted) would be down to the politics of the next 18 months rather than any legal difficulty.

If the Conservatives use the time running up to the next election to reverse most of above mentioned laws, then any decision to try to rejoin would be more difficult but if things are left very much as they are then life would be much easier.

Under Article 49 of the EU Treaty, any prospective member must show that it respects the common values of the European Union including “human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law”.

In addition, it would have to demonstrate that it is a free and stable country supporting free speech and the concept of democracy.

As all of the existing member states have to unanimously agree to accept a new member and a majority in the European Parliament, there is little doubt that there would be some ‘penalty’ for leaving in the first place, perhaps a requirement to join Schengen or the Euro Zone, but in theory, following a positive referendum in the UK, membership could be obtain within three to five years.